1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and device for dispersing ions by remote action.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years a great number of researchers have been paying much attention to biological effects induced by electromagnetic fields. Such fields affect the transmembrane potential of cells changing the ionic concentration in and out of the same. This is seen, for example, from Szent-Gyorgyi, Introduction to a Submolecular Biology (Academic Press, NY, 1960); Szent-Gyorgyi, Bioelectronics (Academic Press, NY, 1968); Szent-Gyorgyi, Electronic Biology (Marcel Dekker, Inc., NY 1976); Cone, C. D., J. Theoret. Biol., 30, 151-181 (1971); Cone, C.D., Ann. New York Acad. Sci., 238, 420-435 (1974); Cone, C.D., Transmembrane Potentials and Characteristics of Immune and Tumor Cells (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., 1985) Ch. 9, p. 138-141; Albert, B., Bray, D., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., and Watson, J. D., Molecular Biology of the Cell (Garland Publishing, Inc., NY, 1983); Nordenstrom, B., Biologically Closed Electric Circuits (Nordic Medical Publications, Stockholm, 1983); Barothy, J. M., Biological Effects of Magnetic Fields (Plenum Press, NY, 1964) p. 100-108; Cure, J.C., Phys. Lett., 116b, no. 2.3, 158-160 (1982); and Cure, J.C., Northeastern University, Boston, November 1987 (Private Communication).
More than 40 years ago Szent-Gyorgyi observed the importance of the ratio D/A in the cells, wherein D stands for substances that donate electrons, while A stands for substances that accept electrons. This is seen, for example, from the three publications by Szent-Gyorgyi mentioned above. He observed that when D/A.apprxeq.1, the cells remain in the resting phase. On the other hand when D/A&gt;1, the cells go into the miotic phase. Szent-Gyorgyi also observed experimentally that the introduction of accepters in the blood stream of mice with a particular type of cancerous tumors, arrested the growth of the same. The introduction of donors in the body of the affected organism do not produce any significant effect because the cells are rich in donors. These concepts bear a close relationship with Cone's theoretical and experimental conclusions. Cone observed that the cells remain in the resting phase when the transmembrane potential is approximately -65 mv. Nevertheless when the cells are in constant proliferation this potential changes to approximately -15 mv.
Recently Nordenstrom has reported successful electric treatment of cancerous tumors. His method takes the form of inserting a positive electrode in the core of the tumor while the negative one is inserted outside the cancerous tumor. There is no doubt that the electric field, provided by a 10 v DC battery, disperses the ions in the cancerous region of the tumor. The positive electrode also plays the role of a physical accepter A instead of the chemical ones used in chemotherapy. The dispersion or concentration of ions by electrostatic fields seems to have no significant effects. Other than an initial charge transportation, an electrostatic field may cause practically no substantial electrical current which is necessary for an electrolytic dispersion or neutralization of ions. On the other hand the effect of alternating electric fields have no substantial results, because of the alternating dispersion and concentration of ions. Nevertheless, recently many reports have been published concerning the biological effects of alternating fields of very low frequency. The use of static magnetic fields is known to have no effect on static distributions of charges or ions. However, from a biophysical point of view, reports are known that this type of field can arrest the growth of cancerous tumors. The use of alternating magnetic fields causes effects similar to the alternating electric fields, inducing oscillating dispersion and concentration of electric charges, causing an alternating electromotive force E=kdB/dt=k'di/dt, in such a way as to cause no net effect as far as ion dispersion or ion concentration is concerned.